Antonio Filosa didn't have to wait until he officially took over as new CEO of Stellantison June 23 to set the tone. In a short message published last night on LinkedIn, the future boss of Stellantis thanked Chairman John Elkann, the Board of Directors, the Group's 272,000 employees... and, above all, the memory of Sergio Marchionne:
As Mr Sergio Marchionne would say: "Mediocrity is not worth the journey. Let's take this victory back together!"
In just two sentences, Filosa reminded us where he came from, to whom he owes much of his rise, and what culture of excellence he intends to reinstall at the heart of the world's fourth-largest automaker. More surprising: not a word for his predecessor, Carlos Tavares, who resigned on December 1ᵉʳ, 2024. A silence that speaks volumes.
The return of one of Marchionne's sons
Born in Naples and with a degree in mechanical engineering, Antonio Filosa grew up in the shadow of the "Maestro". In 2004, Marchionne had just taken the helm at Fiat, while Filosa, then in his thirties, was already managing the Betim plant in Brazil. The two men met again in 2014 for the inauguration of the Jeep complex in Pernambuco, one of the flagship projects of the "Jeep Global" program that would boost FCA's profits in Latin America. In March 2018, the CEO appointed his protégé to the Group Executive Council, the ultimate decision-making body within the Group.
When Marchionne passed away suddenly on July 25, 2018, Filosa lost his mentor but kept the engraved motto: "Mediocrity is not worth the journey." Seven years later, he cites it publicly as a standard.
On May 28, Stellantis made an open secret official: after twenty-five years with the company, Antonio Filosa would become CEO on June 23. In the meantime, the Neapolitan will be visiting factories and dealerships to "listen" and feel the pulse of a shaken group: operating profit divided by almost three in 2024, record inventories in the United States, Chinese competition fiercer than ever on electric city cars.
If John Elkann praises "strong and effective leadership", it's also because Filosa has a proven track record: number 1 in the South American region, he put Fiat back at the top of the Brazilian market while boosting sales of Peugeot, Citroën, Ram and Jeep. Later appointed COO of the Americas, he reduced US inventories in six months and prepared a new wave of hybrid and electric models.
Forget Tavares?
The absence of any reference to Carlos Tavares is no doubt not accidental. Firstly, because the Portuguese-Frenchman embodied iron budgetary discipline, sometimes criticized for tightening the screws to the point of suffocating the distribution network. Above all, because Tavares started out with a harsh reality check: declining markets, falling profitability, growing tension with the Italian government.
By quoting Marchionne, Filosa links Stellantis to his Italian-American DNA, reassures Turin and Modena of the attention paid to the Transalpine brands (Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati) and symbolically places himself as the heir to a leader who was able to transform a slumbering giant into a cash machine.
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Let's hope he'll be more interested in the automotive product than Marchionne, who planted the Italian brands.
I was just about to say that. I hope the comparison with Marchionne will end with this "homage".
Marchionne inherited a catastrophic financial situation, turned around the accounts while leading the Chrysler takeover and invested massively in Alfa Romeo. We remember his never-respected product plans and Lancia's mismanagement, but not what came before...
Like Tavares, who turned around PSA and carried out takeovers and mergers (Opel and FCA), everything was rosy, and then it all went to hell... I have fond memories of his management of the group in the 2000s, when there were great ranges and excellent proposals. Then there was the Chrysler takeover, which I think was a mistake and didn't add any value for Fiat. The 500 monoculture and the total abandonment of Italian brands in favor of US brands. In the end, both sides of the Atlantic found themselves at half-mast before the merger...
He saved them, improving quality & increasing production volumes.
To relaunch electric vehicles (with a market share of more than 15% in Europe, and crucial for compliance with CAFE standards), it will also be necessary to offer the right batteries and motors, to paraphrase J. Elkann... I hope he will also focus on the cars' aesthetics, with all due respect to the design teams in place: the announced stern of the new Stelvio is almost identical to that of the Xiaomi YU7 (and I find the latter more pleasing to the eye).
That's a pretty good sign, after 4 years of mediocrity...
Marchionne = release of the toad or ugly 500L instead of investing in a new Punto (okay, he couldn't afford it), Fiât range not renewed, customers fleeing, Chrysler rebadged as Lancia which was a programmed failure, Giulia sedan released when sedans were already being shunned, total failure in Alfa sales forecasts, etc. etc. On the other hand, he succeeded with the Jeep takeover and was an outstanding financier. May he rest in peace.
What's wrong with the Giulia?
It's the only sedan in the range and it would be too much?
Audi has discontinued its A4, A5, A6, A7 and A8? They're even making an A3 sedan...
BMW same. Merco the same...
Le idee di FILOSO sono molto belle speriamo che vadano realizzati, poi è italiano e conosce molto bene il mercato mondiale dell'auto. Tavares ha fatto tanti errori: il primo è stato quello con il governo italiano. Ok
The problem with the Giulia is that it cost a fortune to develop, took years to launch (2-3 years late), didn't sell, and didn't exist as an SW or station wagon. As for its design, it was a disappointment to many when it came out. Personally, I loved the 155, 156 and 159. The Giulia doesn't make me hot or cold. The rear end is insipid, and the front end not so much. Alfa, on the other hand, has always succeeded with its dashboards. And giving up on a new Giulietta that would have boosted sales is another aberration.
Sergio Marchionne is FCA's last great leader. He may have made mistakes, but we owe him the Giulia and Stelvio, the best sedans and SUVs on the market with an exceptional chassis, Maseratis that sold well, and the success of Jeep.
It's good that the new head of Stellantis Filosa is paying tribute to him.
Above all, Marchione took advantage of situations, and that's what he was capable of. Taking advantage of the American state, the Italians and giving bcp of profits to his shareholder buddies who are still around and killed Fiat and now Stellantis. As for the Giulia and Stelvio, they've only ever convinced the fan boys 🙁
Sorry, but if you don't like the Giulia and Stelvio, you don't like Alfa Romeo. Because they'll always be among the best Alfa Romeos ever made.
Tastes and colors. I stopped at the 156 for example. Since then, Alfa has wallowed, with varying degrees of technical success (the Giulia is technically very good, although it doesn't even have a hybrid, but it's still small and not available as a station wagon, so it's of no interest to me), in big, expensive cars that aren't necessarily sellable in their Fiat dealerships, which are just able to sell and maintain Pandas and 500s.